Blank Sailing: When a cancelled ship disorganizes the entire supply chain
A blank saling (or void saling) means the cancellation of an initial scheduled sea trip, or the modification of its route (such as jumping a port of call).
The causes are many: low demands, delays, port congestion, extreme weather conditions, naval maintenance operations, local strikes, regulatory constraints and geopolitical tensions.
Blank Sailing affects several levels of the supply chain: it can result in delays, supply disruptions and loss of revenue for shippers. Ports are also affected, notably by the disruption of dock schedules, terminals and planning, resulting in additional costs associated with staff and equipment management. On the container side, the phenomenon causes an imbalance between regions, with a lack in some places and a surplus in others. The environment can suffer from this, especially because of detours or the search for alternative routes. Finally, the blank Sailing generates additional costs, including air freight or reprogramming shipments.
How can you limit the risks associated with the blank saling?
- Real-time tracking of containers, using platforms like Marine Traffic.
- Have alternative methods of shipping.
- Analyze operators' history by studying the frequency of their blanks and their regularity.
- Integrate the risks of port congestion from planning.
- Adapt inventory management to absorb potential disturbances.
- Maintain close communication with freight forwarders and shipping companies
- Digitalize and consolidate information sources, for example using LLM-type tools to create custom alerts
- Use SOC containers (shipper's properties) for more flexibility
Below are some indicators to be monitored regularly:
| Item to be monitored | Why? |
|---|---|
| Number and percentage of blank sales announced on main roads | Direct indicator of capacity reduction, potentially synonymous with delays or rising costs |
| Roads and ports most affected by the blast saling | Allows to adapt the forecasts according to the road, according to the most affected areas |
| Availability of SOC and non- SOC containers | Influences the flexibility of the consignor, the cost of transport and the return times of the containers |
| Port congestion and initial delays (weather conditions, strikes, etc.) | Factors that are often underestimated but that may significantly disrupt the supply chain |
| Company strategies (frequency reductions, alliances, segments removed) | In order to anticipate network changes |
| Additional costs (alternative transport, storage, delays) | To measure the economic impact on the consignor |
Ultimately, blanks currently account for about 8% of cancelled rotations. These cancellations mainly concern transpacific links:
- 51% of cancellations concern rotations between Asia and North America,
- 31% concern the Europe-Asia route,
- and 18% North America-Asia routes.